Secrets and Stress
by Evil intent
Summary: First off, yes I realize this show was made a while ago but I just found it and fell in love with it. Charlie pushes himself too far while working on a case, leading to health complications and lots of brotherly worry (ch1) The case that leads to this however brings on new revolutions for Don when he joins the case and finds out what Charlie really works on for the NSA. (Ch2 )
1. Chapter 1

Part One:

Don sighed, stretching out on his chair, when his phone rang to break the silence. He grappled around his pockets for a moment before locating the phone, hands clumsy from hours of looking through case files. Don glanced at the caller id before answering.

"Hey Dad, what'sup?" Don asked in a cheery voice.

"Hey Donnie." Came his father's short reply. "Where are you?"

"At work, why? Is everything okay?"

Alan paused for a second before answering, "Are you almost wrapped up with whatever you're doing?"

Donnie glanced at the clock, 7:34, "Yeah I'm just about to head out."

"Can you swing by the house before heading to your apartment?" Alan asked.

"Yeah sure, what's wrong?" Don asked in confusion, worry creeping into his mind.

Alan paused again, "It's your brother. He's been working on this one problem for days now; I haven't even seen him come into the house the past three days. I don't think he's been eating the food I bring him and I don't think he's been sleeping."

Don sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, massaging it lightly. "What do you want me to do?" The words came out sharper than he intended. "I mean," he continued hastily, "you know what he's like when he gets like this."

"I know, Donnie but I haven't been able to talk sense into him and both Larry and Amita are out of town at a conference." Alan said.

Don nodded to himself before answering, "I'll be there, give me fifteen."

Alan sounded relieved, making Don wonder how bad it really was. "Thank you, Don."

Don pulled the phone away from his ear and snapped it closed. "God damnit Charlie." He thought bitterly, "Can't you ever think about taking care of yourself?"

He made his way to his car and spent the entire drive thinking what he was going to say to his little brother.

Xxxxxx

When Don arrived to the house he saw that both the garage and house lights were on. He went to the garage first, suspecting Charlie hadn't magically snapped out of it in the time it took to drive over. When he stepped into the barn he had to stop for a moment to gape at the chalk boards cover literally every inch of the room. Don could see where Charlie had run out of room on the walls and ceilings and begun to write of boards simply placed on the floor. He was currently writing on one of the boards on the wall, scratching away furiously with his chalk.

Don sighed and gingerly made his way to his little brother, being extraordinary careful to not step of any of the many boards covering the ground. As Don grew closer he noted that Charlie was refusing to acknowledge his presence, or just hadn't even noticed it.

"Hey Charlie." Don said softly, not wanting to spook the younger man if the latter was true. When Charlie didn't respond or make any indication that he had heard him Don tried again, louder this time and he coupled it with placing his hand on his shoulder.

Charlie shrugged the hand off, "I'm working, Don." He mumbled. Don had to refrain from rolling his eyes, so he had noticed him.

"You need to take a break." Don said evenly, "Dad says you've been out here for days."

Again Charlie didn't reply, his focus purely on what he was writing.

Don sighed again and put both his hands on Charlie's shoulders, trying to turn him away from the board. "Come on Charlie, you have to take a break!"

Charlie jerked his body back and continued scribbling quickly, "I'm fine Don, just go back to the house. You're not even supposed to see what I'm working on."

"I can't read it anyway." Came Don's short reply, "Now come on, let's go inside." He grabbed Charlie's arm but Charlie yanked it back again.

Charlie whipped his head around to look at Don, momentarily pausing his writing. "I'm trying to work Don and I can't focus on it if you keep talking so please just leave so that I can continue my train of thought!" He spat the words out in one quick burst and turned back to the board, resuming his writing.

Don felt his stomach turn at the sight of his brothers face. He looked drawn, face unnaturally pale and his forehead had a light sheen of sweat on it. He had obviously lost weight and Don could see that his hands had developed a slight tremor. "God damnit Charlie!" He mutters under his breath, tone frustrated. As he watched Charlie work he saw his knees buckle slightly and Charlie tipped forward. Charlie grabbed the bottom of the board he was working on and pushed himself back up, his writing never faltering. That was the last straw for Don.

"Charlie, you need to come inside now!" Don snapped, concern and anger lacing his voice. Charlie didn't even seem to notice that anyone spoke. Don gave up on words and reached up, grabbing Charlie's writing arm and forcing it down to his side.

Charlie looked back at him but instead of looking furious at being disturbed like Don expected he looked confused.

"Don?" Charlie asked, utterly confused.

"When did you get here?"

"I-I've been here." Don replied, quite confused himself.

Charlie shook his head and tossed the chalk to his left hand, continuing writing.

"Charlie, please come inside." Don said gently, worry for his brother reaching a peak. He let go off Charlie's arm and watched as the man switched the chalk back to his right hand and continued writing.

Charlie paused halfway through writing an 'x', both of his hands traveling down to the lip at the bottom of the board where he braced himself, his knuckles turning white from the tense grip. He bowed his head and breathed heavily, his face twisted in an expression of pain. Don stepped up to him, putting his hands on his shoulders.

"Carlie are you okay?" Don asked, worry causing a pitch in his voice. Charlie rolled his shoulders back, pushing Don off of him. He grabbed a new piece of chalk from the tray, having dropped the last one, and continued writing furiously, his face still twisted in pain and pale.

Don shook his head, not believing what he was seeing. He took a deep breath, realizing what he had to do. He took another step towards his little brother and wrapped both his arms around him in a position like a bear hug to pin both of Charlie's arms at his sides. Charlie struggled against him but Don was stronger, especially in his weakened state. Don pulled him away from the board, trying to be as gentle as he could.

Charlie shouted at him and pushed back but Don held on. "Don, let me go!" Charlie yelled, straining desperately. "I have to finish this! If I don't finish it people are going to-" he cut himself off, causing Don to look down at him in confusion.

"People are go to what, charlie?" Don asked. Charlie didn't respond, instead beginning to struggle again. Don stopped walking and loosened his grip on his brother. "You aren't thinking straight." He said slowly, "You are sick and you aren't thinking straight."

Charlie turned his head around to scowl at his brother, his face furious. He tried to push against Don but it was weaker this time. His face relaxed slightly and he murmured "Don." In a small voice akin to a child before his eyes rolled back in his head and he sagged to the ground.

Don's eyes widened in surprise as he was dragged down to the ground, just barely managing to slid a hand under Charlie's head to keep it from slamming into the ground too hard. He shifted Charlie's body off of him so that he lay flat on the ground between two boards. Charlie was incredibly pale, his breath coming out in short pants. Don pressed two fingers to his neck, his anxiety levels rising when he felt how quickly Charlie's heart was beating.

Don brushed some hair back from Charlie's forehead, his completely lax face frightening Don more than he cared to admit. He tapped Charlie's face lightly to try to rouse him. "Charlie," he murmured, "come on, wake up." Charlie didn't stir so Don pulled out his phone and quickly dialed 911. He gave the information to the woman on the other side of the line and felt a rush of relief when she told him the ambulance was coming. Don debating for a moment between hanging up and calling his father, not wanting to leave Charlie's side, or staying on with the dispatcher in case anything happened to Charlie. He decided on the later, figuring that his father would come out once hearing the ambulance.

It wasn't long before Don could hear the ambulance coming and, just as he had predicted, Alan came running out.

"What happened?" Alan gasped breathlessly as he ran into the room, dropping to his knees next to his sons.

"He just collapsed." Don murmured, "He wasn't really making sense and he seemed confused and then he just collapsed. I was going to call you but I didn't want to hang up on the operated in case anything happened and I couldn't leave him…" He trailed off as Alan shook his head.

"It's fine." He said dismissively. He placed his hand lightly on Charlie's chest as if to shake him awake before glancing at Don. "His heart's beating far too fast, isn't it?" He asked worriedly.

Don nodded, "The ambulance should be here just about now."

Right on cue the sirens cut off and two men burst into the room, immediately making their way to Charlie, who was still unconscious. Don and Alan stepped back to let them work. One man held Charlie's wrist to check his pulse while the other pried his eyes open and shined a light in.

The man checking his pulse looked at his partner with concern on his features. "Get the paddles!" He directed quickly, "He's in cardiac arrest!"

Don heard his father gasp behind him as he tried to push past Don to get to Charlie but Don held him back, knowing that his father would only get in the way.

The second paramedic pulled a defibrillator from his bag and made quick work of setting it up. He ripped Charlie's shirt open and began placing electrodes across his chest, hooking them up to a monitor as he finished. Don noted with concern how quickly his brothers heart was beating. The first paramedic charged the paddles before yelling "Clear!" And pressing them to Charlie's chest. His body arched as the electricity ran through him and his heart rate jumped on the monitor but quickly returned to its unnaturally fast pace.

"Again." The other man directed.

"Clear!"

Charlie's body jumped again and his heart rate jumped with him, stalling for a terrifying moment, then starting back up again. Don forced himself to control his breathing, well aware of how close to panicking he was. Charlie's heart rate began to slow down as the four other men watched but the paramedic still held his position with the paddles charging in case it was needed again. The other decided it was unnecessary.

"Let's get him on a board." He said. The two men swiftly maneuvered Charlie so that he was laying out on the stretcher and slipped an oxygen mask over his face. The next few minutes of the paramedics carrying Charlie and loading him into the ambulance went by in a blur and the next thing Don knew his father was standing in front of him.

"Don." Alan said softly, "Can I-"

Don cut him off with a nod, knowing exactly what his father was asking. "Go ahead." He said, "I'll follow along behind." Alan nodded his thanks and clambered into the back of the ambulance, the paramedic hopping in after him and closing the door. The siren flipped on and the ambulance sped off, leaving a thoroughly frightened Don in its wake. Don followed closely behind the ambulance, his mind running through possible scenarios. Two words kept repeating in his mind, "Cardiac arrest." Charlie was too young for that, way too young for that. He was only a bit behind the ambulance but by the time he raced into the hospital Charlie was already being wheeled into the operating room, Alan being left behind in the hallway looking lost and confused. Don grabbed his arm lightly and lead him over to the chairs in a corner of the waiting room. Both men sat down heavily.

"I should call Amita and Larry." Don muttered and on further thought added, "And the team. I don't want them to find out in the papers or something." Alan nodded in response, not taking his eyes off the OR doors. Don stood up and walked around the corner to where the vending machines were for a bit of privacy before dialing Amita. She picked up after the third ring.

"Hello?" She asked.

"It's Don." Don replied.

Her tone considerably brightened, "Oh hey Don, what's up?"

"Is Larry with you?" Don asked.

"Yeah he's right here." Amita said, "Do you want me to put the phone on speaker?"

"Yeah, that'd be great."

There was a slight sound of shuffling before Larry's voice came through, "How are you Don?"

Don ignored the question, "Are you two sitting down?"

"Um...no?" Amita replied with hesitation, "What's wrong?"

"You should probably sit down." Was Dons only reply. He waited for the sound of scuffling to stop before continuing, "Charlie collapsed. He went into cardiac arrest. Now we're not sure why yet but he's in the OR now."

He was met with a few moments of silence before Larry broke it. "Wha-what happened?" He stuttered. Don noted that this was probably the only time he had seen the genius lose his composure.

"I don't know." Don admitted, "My dad gave me a call an hour ago saying that he didn't think Charlie was eating or sleeping because he was working on some project and that he needed me to talk to him because Charlie wouldn't listen to him. He seemed really confused and off and I had to literally pull him away from what he was working on. Then he just collapsed." Each word that Don spoke was like a knife to his heart. Charlie wasn't supposed to get hurt like this.

There was a sound like a sharp intake of breath before Amita spoke, "We're coming back." Larry murmured in agreement from the background.

Don shook his head, "No, no your conference isn't over for another day."

"I don't care." Amita said with finality, "I'm coming."

"Amita, please." Don sighed, "Charlie won't be out anytime soon and I'm sure when he does he won't be up for visitors. Besides, wasn't it Charlie that persuaded the two of you to go to the conference anyway?"

There were murmurs of agreement from both people on the other side of the line before Larry finally said, "Alright. But I want updates the second you get them."

"Of course." Don agreed immediately. "Do you guys have any other questions, because I have to inform the rest of my team. They've all gotten pretty close to Charlie and I don't want to leave them out of the loop."

Amita and Larry both told him no and they exchanged goodbyes before hanging up. Don repeated the process with each member of his team, barely managing to convince each to stay home and get some rest. He finally hung up on the last call and slammed his phone closed to tuck it back into his pocket. Before he went back to the waiting room however he did a few dollar bills out of his pocket and got two cups of coffee from the machine, he wasn't sure how long he and his father would be waiting. Alan nodded his thanks when handed the steaming cup but no words were exchanged. After a few moments they sink into a tense and uncomfortable silence, waiting for news on Charlie.

{{{{{2 hours later }}}}}

After a few hours a doctor finally stepped through the double doors and approached Don and Alan.

"Family of Charles Eppes?" He asked, his name tag read Adams.

Both Alan and Don stood, nodding. "How is he?" Don asked worriedly.

"Well I'll give it to you straight." Adams said, "Charles had a heart attack."

"What?" Don all but yelled, his eyes wide with shock.

"He had a heart attack." The doctor repeated patiently.

"He's barely thirty!" Alan snapped, "How did this happen?"

"Basically he overworked his heart." Adams replied, "His heart was under massive strain which lead to cardiac arrest, producing a heart attack. From what we can tell he is malnourished, dehydrated, and suffering from exhaustion. We also found a number of dextroamphetamines in his system."

Don interrupted, "What do you mean dextroamphetamines? He was taking drugs?" He asked, anger coloring his voice. Alan looked at him wide-eyed in shock.

"No, no." Adams assured him, "Everything we found is over the counter, nothing illegal." Both Alan and Don breathed a sigh of relief. "But," Adams continued, "the combination of multiple drugs and little to no food or water lead to his collapse and heart failure. He shouldn't have any lasting problems or conditions from this but he will need to be hospitalized in order to recuperate and allow us to monitor him. In addition we will be having a discussion with him explaining how 'stay awake' drugs don't replace sleep." He said the last sentence with humor, glancing at Don knowingly.

"Can we see him?" Don asked.

"Because of his weakened condition only immediate family will be admitted, and you can only stay for a short time. He's unconscious now, and will be for a little while because of the drugs he's on but you can see him now. He's in room 140." Adams explained.

"Thank you." Don said, speaking for himself and his father.

Adams nodded, "You're welcome, and please help make sure he doesn't do this to himself again- he's far too young for this."

Don let out a quiet chuckle, thanked the doctor again, and lead his father to Charlie's room. They made their way into the room quietly because even though they knew he wouldn't be waking up for a while Don wanted to disturb him as little as possible. However, as he laid eyes on his little brother Don was the one who was disturbed. Charlie was deathly pale, his dark hair in stark contrast to the rest of his skin. A cannula snaked from his nose and multiple bags of fluids hung from a pole which held the IV in his arm. Don couldn't help but notice how young and small Charlie seemed in the bed, it added fresh pain to his heart.

"How could this have happened?" Alan asked, his voice taking on a tone of desperation.

Don just shook his head, "I don't know, I think it might have had something to do with his consulting job."

Alan looked at Don sharply, "You had him working on top of all this?"

"No!" Don said quickly, "No of course not. I meant his other job. He said something about needing to do it because people might die if he didn't. At least I think that's what he was saying, he wasn't making much sense."

"What do you mean 'his other job'? Other than being a professor?" Alan asked.

Don shook his head again, "I don't know if Charlie wants people to know, I found out by accident."

Alan glared at him, "You can't just say something like that when he looks like this and not expect me to ask questions."

"Let's just say Charlie works with some other agencies that prefer not to be named." Don said quietly.

Alan glanced at him oddly but returned his gaze to his youngest son. Don took a step forward and took Charlie's hand, waiting for Alan to do the same on the other side before sitting down. Don brushed a stray curl of hair out of Charlie's face, letting his hand rest in the top of his head for a moment before drawing it back. They remained like that for almost twenty minutes before a nurse knocked on the door lightly and entered.

"I'm really sorry to kick you guys out but visiting hours are over." She said sweetly, "You can come back at eight in the morning tomorrow."

Don nodded at her, "Thank you. We'll be out in just a minute."

She smiled lightly, "No problem." She said as she left the room.

Don looked back at his sleeping brother and squeezed his hands before whispering, "Get better, Charlie. I love you." He ran a hand through his hair again before standing up and leaving the room, giving his father a moment to himself. After a minute Alan joined him and they made their way to Don's car.

It was the next day when the doctor informed Don and Alan that Charlie should wake up and therefore could only be visited by one person at a time. Alan had insisted upon Don visiting Charlie first. Don suspected that it had something to do with the fact that his father seemed to know that Don partially blamed himself for what had happened. There was still little happening at the office so Don took the day off and went to visit Charlie.

He sat in an uncomfortably hard plastic chair that he had pulled over to the side of Charlie's bed. Don sat with his hand over Charlie's as he dozed off, tired from not getting any sleep the night before. All of the sudden Don felt a twitch under his hand. His eyes shot open and he jerked up, eyes staring intently on his little brother. "Charlie?" He half whispered.

Charlie emoted a soft groan and shifted a little. Don brushed some hair away from his face and leaned closer, "Hey Charlie," he murmured quietly, "can you open your eyes?" Charlie groaned softly again but his eyes flickered open slowly. Don couldn't help the grin that spread across his face as Charlie rolled his head to look at him.

"What happened?" Charlie asked, blinking in confusion.

Don suppressed an awkward chuckle, "You had a heart attack."

Charlie's eyes widened considerably, "What? That's-that's highly improbable, statistically. The average age for a-"

Don cut him off, "Slow down, you need to take it easy."

Almost instantly Charlie's eyes widened with a mix of shock and horror. "What day is it?"

"It's Thursday, the fifteenth." Don replied patiently.

"Oh God." Charlie gasped, "I have to get back to work!"

Don scoffed, "Are you kidding me, Charlie, that's what put you in here in the first place. In case you didn't hear me before, you had a heart attack!"

Charlie tried to sit up but decided against it and flopped back to the bed with a groan of pain. He held his eyes shut tightly for a moment and clenched his jaw against the pain as it rushed through his chest. He heard Don calling his name worriedly but it sounding like it was coming from a distance. When he finally reopened his eyes Don was staring at him with an expression akin to fear and the nurse call button in his hand. "Are you alright?" Don asked anxiously, turning the call button over in his hand.

"I'm fine, Don." Charlie muttered, "You didn't actually call the nurse did you?"

Dons lips parted slightly, the closest thing to a jaw drop as Charlie had ever seen him manage. "Of course I did." He replied.

Charlie sighed, "I said I'm fine, Don. I just need to get back to work."

Don scoffed and shook his head, "Sure you are. And you're not going anywhere until the doctor clears you."

"Don you don't understand," Charlie pleaded, "I need to finish this, it's incredibly important!"

"What's so important it's worth you life?" Don snapped.

"Some things are more important then one man!" Charlie retorted. As he grew angry with his brother's antics his heart rate began rising steadily, causing him to almost double over as a new wave of pain wracked his body.

Don went to his brothers aid, anger momentarily forgotten but before he could do anything a nurse bustled in.

"Now what's going on in here?" She asked, sweetly enough but she glared accusingly at Don.

Charlie waved a hand in her direction, "I'm fine, my brother is simply overreacting."

Don stepped in for his obstinate brother, "He's in pain." He stated simply.

The nurse moved closer to Charlie and pulled her stethoscope off from around her neck, pressing it to his chest. She hummed softly to herself as she listened to his heart before pulling away. "Is it just pain or does it feeling like your chest is tight and hard to breathe?" She asked.

"It's just pain." Charlie assured.

The nurse nodded and pursed her lips before pulling a syringe out from her pocket. "I assumed as much." She said, "This should take the edge off and help you rest."

Immediately Charlie became defensive. "No, no." He said, shaking his head, "I need to be able to think clearly, I have to get back to wor-work." He stuttered the last word as he was seized by a sudden burst of pain. Despite the excruciating feeling in his chest he tried to push himself up off the bed. Don caught his shoulders and tried to push him back down but Charlie resisted, pushing back. Don glanced over at the nurse and nodded. She uncapped the needle and tapped it to clear it of air before sticking it into Charlie's IV and injecting it. "No, no." Charlie mumbled. "Don, I need to think." As the drug began to take effect Charlie looped his hands behind Dons neck in an effort to keep himself up, muttering about how he needed to get back to work.

Don shushed him softly and gently pried his fingers from around his neck. He leaned forward and guided Charlie back down to the bed. Charlie's mumbles had turned to heavy breathing as he fought against the drug that was quickly pulling him under. Despite his addled state Charlie still managed to shoot a glare to his brother; one that clearly read as betrayal.

Don felt his heart twist as he watched his brothers face fall lax, the expression simply melting off as the drug took full effect. Charlie's normally vibrant eyes, bright with curiosity dulled to the point where they conveyed no emotion before flickering shut, the last image they saw being Don.

~Two Days Later~

"Whoa, wait what are you doing?" Dan snapped as Charlie shrugged a suit jacket over his shoulders and reached for his keys. Don had been staying at Charlie's house for the past few days so that when Alan was busy there would still be someone there. Charlie had disliked the arrangements but despite his protests, Don stayed. Don stanched the keys away, causing Charlie to flash him an indignant look.

"I have to go back to CalSci." Charlie replied coldly, "I have classes to teach."

"It's only been two days." Don insisted, knowing that short of physically restraining his brother there was really nothing he could do to stop him. "Don't you think you should take another few off?"

Charlie shot him another annoyed look before responding with, "That's two days of classes that I haven't taught and we have midterms coming up." He grabbed his keys and stuffed them in his pocket before trying to push past Don to walk out the door.

Don grabbed his arm, halting his stride. "Just, be careful." He said softly.

Charlie sighed lightly, his anger at his older brother disappearing, "I'll be fine Don." He muttered. Charlie pulled open the door and left, leaving Don to listen to the sound of his car pulling out of the driveway with worry.

Despite his older-brother instincts Don listened to him leave then turned and made his way back to the living room where he had been working from home. He knew Charlie would be okay, he always was.


	2. Chapter 2

Part two:

A/N- So this takes place just over two months after Charlie has his heart attack. Charlie will probably be a bit OOC so I'm sorry about that but I had to. BAMF!Charlie coming up

*final thing, sorry: I wasn't entirely sure who Don's boss is but I think it's Walt Merrick. Please correct me if I'm wrong I'm terribly sorry.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tuesday:

Don hadn't seen his brother for a few days due to an out of town conference on mathematics. Despite the fact that he had talked to him numerous times over the phone to discuss the case he was helping Don with, something still didn't feel right. They had just wrapped up the case and Don decided to call Charlie. He knew that his brother was a grown man and could take care of himself but he couldn't shake the memory of the events from a few months before from his memory. Don understood that Charlie was busy with the conference but he still disliked Charlie being away for long periods of time. He brushed away his thoughts and stood from his desk, noticing that David and Megan were still there. They were both finishing up paperwork for the case they had just closed so Don decided to wait for them. Before either of them finished, however, Merrick poked his head out of his office and called for Don.

"Yes sir, I'll be right there." Don replied, already making his way towards Merrick's office.

"Close the door behind you Don." Merrick said. After Don obliged and took the seat offered to him he began to talk. "Have you ever heard of Richard Tesla?" He started.

Don paused for a moment as the name clicked, "The trafficker?" He asked.

Merrick nodded, "Drugs, girls, arms- you name it he carries it." Don nodded in understanding as he continued, "Recently we've received word that he's been involved with a group of terrorists called the Black Knights."

"The Black Knights?" Don asked, surprise in his voice. "I thought they were disbanded?"

Merrick shook his head, "Turns out a cell was missed. They're back, and with Tesla supplying him they're more dangerous than ever."

Don nodded again, then asked, "Sorry sir but...what does this have to do with me?"

"It's come to our attention that there is an outpost for Tesla's operation in Santa Barbara." He specified, "And recently a joint task force operation was put in place. They want people who know the area to help them, specifically FBI. They asked for the best we've got, I said you."

A small smile touched Don's face but he managed to remain stoic, "You want me to join."

Merrick nodded, "You and two others."

Don didn't have to think, "David and Megan." He replied.

"Talk to them." Merrick said, "Tell me by the morning."

Don paused to glance through the glass, "They're still here." He said.

"Go." Merrick commanded.

Don quickly made his way to the desks, calling for Megan to wait as she finished her work and began moving toward the elevators. She turned back to him, "What's up." Don glanced around the still semi-crowded room and motioned for them to follow him. The three ducked into the conference room and Don closed the door behind them.

"What's up?" David asked, echoing Megan.

"Merrick's got a case for us." Don told them, "It involves Richard Tesla." Don gave them a second to register the name and for their eyes to widen. Both opened their mouths but Don continued before either could speak, "It's a joint task force operation, and it's most likely very dangerous. Merrick said that they, being whoever's running the op, wanted the best. He chose us." Don said the last part with a small shrug, as if he knew that his team was the best.

Megan spoke first, "I'm in, let's take this guy down."

David nodded, "Same here."

Don grinned and nodded, "Come on then, we've got to talk to Merrick."

The three made their way to his office, knocking twice before entering. This time Don closed the door without prompt. Merrick looked up, "All three of you are in?" He asked seriously, "This isn't going to be an easy case."

Don, David and Megan all spoke over each other, assuring that they all understood the risks and were still willing to go. Merrick held up a hand to stop their talking, "Understood. Let me just warn you though, this team will be made up of members from the CIA, NSA, FBI, and from what I understand- some freelance agents, whatever that means. Tensions will most likely be high. This isn't like a normal joint task force op, a lot of people there will be working undercover so there's going to be a lot of secret keeping. The whole op is very hush-hush, I barely even know any of the details."

"Understood, sir." David replied, "When is the meeting for op prep?"

Merrick looked amused, "This operation has been going on for months, it was just recently moved to Santa Barbara. You'll be the odd men out, everyone else has been working with each other for a few months now. As for the question, you'll need to leave early in the morning. They want you in Santa Barbara by nine in the morning. Once I verify who's coming you'll receive a message on these." He stopped talking to remove three burner phones from his top desk drawer and hand them to the three agents.

Megan glanced at the black cell in her hand, "You weren't kidding." She muttered, thinking back to his comment on secrecy.

Merrick shook his head, "This operation is top secret, word does not get out. You leave in the morning." With that the conversation was over and the three agents were left with burner phones and the need to pack.

~la la la I'm a line break~

8:43 am, Wednesday:

Don sat in the car in the driver's seat, David sitting shotgun and Megan in the back with the bags. They were sitting outside a warehouse, in the back parking lot where five other cars also sat. They were the only three out there. Don nodded at the others, "Let's go in."

The three made their way into a small closed off area of a dimly lit warehouse. Two men stood in the opposite doorway, the one that lead to the central area, blocking it off.

"Names?" The taller of the two asked.

Don opened his mouth to give their identifications but the shorter man held up a hand to stop him. "First names only." The shorter said, "They're more common, makes it easier for people to not figure out who you are."

Don nodded like it made sense but it really didn't to him, "I'm Don, this is David and Megan." As he said their names he pointed to each one respectively.

"What're you from?" The taller one asked.

"FBI." David replied.

The taller one nodded. "I'm John, this is Mark." He said motioning to him and then his partner. "I'll show you to the team." John and Mark turned away and walked through the doorway, motioning for David, Don and Megan to follow. As they entered the larger room the atmosphere shifted. The room was still dark but brighter than the first. One wall was covered in evidence boards with pictures taped to it and whiteboards that reminded Don of Charlie's back home. Another housed dozens of wooden crates and a large table of guns and ammunition. The third wall had tables with computers and all kinds of electrical equipment. Cords snaked along the grimy floor to a dark corner Don couldn't make out. About a dozen or so people littered the area. They worked on the boards and computers, muttering among themselves. Don noticed with amusement that one corner of the enormous warehouse had a makeshift kitchen complete with a microwave and fridge, as well as a shelf on the wall with bottles of alcohol and scotch and shot glasses. In the center stood three coffee machines, each occupied by various people.

Mark waved a hand off to a set of stairs to the right, "Bedrooms are downstairs, so are the bathrooms. The others are probably working downstairs, it's lighter down there because we can keep lamps on without people outside seeing the light."

Megan looked slightly appalled, "You sleep here?"

John nodded, apparently not noticing her discomfort with the idea. "We've been living here for three weeks, since we got here."

"Glad we brought our bags." David said in an attempt to get rid of the tension.

"We've only got one room left but I can shift it around so you bunk with Ria." Mark said, turning to Megan, "It'll be good for her to have another girl here. There's too many guys."

Megan laughed lightly and nodded, "How many people are here?"

John appeared to count in his head before answering, "About two dozen." He replied, "Give it take."

Mark continued for him, "Probably give. It's a pretty big force. We've got agents, consultants, undercover agents, a few forensic guys and some informants."

"Looks like you're running it well." Don commended, "You said the others are downstairs? We'd like to meet everyone."

"Of course." Mark replied brightly, "They'll probably be coming up for food soon anyway so I'll just call them up now." He didn't wait for a response and wandered over to the stairs where he called down, "Get up here, we've got the newbies!"

John could see the three agents bristle at the term 'newbies' and continued talking quickly, "Everyone here either goes by a title or first name. You don't really want anyone knowing who you are."

"Can I ask why?" Don asked.

"There's talk of a spy, but it's probably bogus." John said lightly, "I mean, don't get me wrong there's probably a spy or two here but they're on our side. It's more just because this is such a secretive op, people feel more comfortable like this."

Don nodded, understanding the people here a bit better. He was about to say something else but Mark wandered back, a dozen or so people in a tight cluster trailing behind. He waved to the people already upstairs working and directed them over. Don watched the agents shuffle over. Most were around his age but a few were younger. Most were males, like Mark had said, but there were still some girls. They seemed to break off in groups, standing closer to some than others. As the group from the basement broke up however, someone caught Don's eye. He noticed the mop of curly brown hair first, but couldn't see the man's face due to the way he was bent in towards a girl as they talked rapidly. David and Megan also saw who Don was looking around, and their eyes widened with surprise. "It can't be." Don thought as he recognized the man, "Charlie?"

Mark began to run through introductions and Don nodded at each one but his eyes were still locked on his brother. Charlie hadn't seen him yet as he was too engaged with his conversation with the girl, who, as Don looked at her, was very young- probably not even twenty.

Mark went through the NSA team. "Here's Grace, Jack, Leo and Matt." He said pointing to a brown haired woman in her late twenties, a tall man with a large gun stuck in his waistband, a younger man in a dress shirt that was too big for him, and finally a man with almost black hair tied back in a low ponytail.

"These must be the people Charlie works with when he's on cases for the NSA." Don thought.

Finally Mark reached Charlie's group. Charlie looked up, his eyes landing on Don. His mouth fell open and the girl next to him nudged him and looked at him strangely. Her eyes found Don too and she looked back at Charlie, realization in her eyes. She whispered some things to him and he tore his eyes away from his brother and looked at Mark. "These are the geniuses." Mark said, smiling, "They run this op. He waved a hand down the line as he named them off. "These are the scientists, they do the forensic stuff. Sarah, Mike, and Tom." Then he motioned to the other three, "And these are," he paused, "well I don't know what to call them. They figure everything out. That's Ria, Charlie and Jay." Megan, David and Don stared at Charlie but he kept his eyes determinedly angled toward the floor. Meek clapped his hands together, "Well that's that!" He called, "Get food, get back to work!" Ria grabbed Charlie's arm and turned him away as they made their way back downstairs as quickly as they could. Jay seemed unsure of why they were practically running away but followed in stride.

Don tried to go after his brother but Megan put a hand on his shoulder, "Stop." She whispered, "Clearly people don't know about you and Charlie. I don't think they should."

Don glared at her, "He's my brother, Megan, I need to talk to him!"

"I know, Don." Megan said, "Let me handle it." She walked over to Mark, who was making coffee, and tapped him on the shoulder, "Can we head downstairs, get out stuff settled in before we get to work."

Mark shrugged, "Of course. You'll be living here for a few weeks, might as well get set up now." She nodded her thanks but before she could go back to Don, Mark said, "And you don't need to ask. We're a team here."

Megan smiled, "Thanks." She said before departing. She clapped her hand on Don's shoulder and said, loud enough for someone else to hear, "You go downstairs and find our rooms. David and I will go get the bags."

"Thank you." Don muttered under his breath. David gave him a nod before heading off with Megan, leaving Don to make his way downstairs alone.

A/N: this just seemed like a good place to stop but don't worry the next chapter will be up really soon:) thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you all for the reviews, follows and favorites. Here's the next installment and I hope you enjoy itJ

Don descended the stairs to the lower level, his mind racing with the million things he wanted to say to his little brother. As he reached the bottom of the stairs however, he was struck with amazement at the sight of the area. Don estimated that the area he was in was at least half as big as the ground floor of the warehouse. Four hallways, that he could see, branched off in various directions and each had doorways that presumably opened up into bedrooms. The room he was currently in was fashioned much like the open floor upstairs, the difference being that it was much cleaner and the wall that would be covered in weapons housed comfortable couches and a kitchenette instead. People milled about, drinking coffee and talking in hushed voices, but Don only had eyes for one. He looked for Charlie and found him standing with the two from earlier, Jay and Ria he remembered, in a corner speaking quietly to one another. He crossed the room in a few quick strides and came to a stop directly behind his brother. Ria nudged Jay, who was currently talking, to warn him to shut up, which he did as soon as Don neared.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Don hissed in Charlie's ear.

"Don." Came Charlie's hasty reply, despite the fact that Charlie had just seen Don upstairs a minute ago he sounded surprised. He looked around anxiously, "Why don't we go somewhere a little more private?"

Don huffed but nodded in affirmation. "Fine, but you're going to tell me what you think you're doing." As Charlie turned to lead Don away Ria made a movement to follow them, but stopped herself; instead she stared after Charlie's retreating back. The brothers made their way through the crowd, weaving through people until they reached a small room. Charlie pushed Don inside and closed the door before sliding the lock in place.

"What are you doing here?" Don snapped again.

"I'm working." Came Charlie's short reply.

Don motioned around with his arms, "Here! Do you have any idea how dangerous this case is?"

"Don, I've been working this case for longer then you have." Charlie replied evenly, "I believe that I am well versed in the dangers."

Don shook his head, unable to believe what he was hearing. "Who are you here working for? The NSA?"

Charlie suppressed a chuckle, "Sure."

"What does that mean?" Don snapped. Charlie shook his head and turned away from his brother but Don grabbed his arm and yanked him back so they stood face to face. "Charlie, just what the hell does that mean?"

"It means that I do a lot of government work, Don." Charlie said, his voice rising. "And that I'm going to do my job whether you want me to or not."

Don just rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his hair, "It's just, you're a math professor, Charlie. Do you even know what you're getting into?"

Charlie fixed Don with a glare, "Like I said, Don, I do a lot of government work. I've had cases worse than this. And believe it or not- I'm perfectly capable of handling myself."

"Charlie…" Don trailed off with a sigh.

Charlie sighed too, but in exasperation. "Look, Don, we've both got work to do; so can we please just get back to it?"

After a moment Don nodded, "But don't think you're off the hook." Charlie rolled his eyes at that. "And I'm going to be watching your back." Don added. Charlie smiled slightly but he remained predominantly annoyed. Contrary to popular belief, he really could handle himself. It wasn't like the agencies he worked for let him go out in the field without any training. He did know some things. The brothers exited the room and Charlie led them back over to where Ria and Jay were standing.

Ria started at Don in a way that made him uncomfortable, it was like she was seeing straight through him. "So," she said slowly, "brother?"

Charlie nodded, "He's here with a few other people from the FBI, David and Megan."

Ria nodded, "Cool." After a moment of silence she said, "So I'm going to get some coffee, you guys want some?" Don and Charlie shook their heads and politely declined but Jay nodded and started off with her. As Ria turned towards the coffee station Don noticed something he hadn't seen before- a gun was sticking out of the back of her waistband. Of course, he lamented, almost all the various agents were carrying- Don was himself, but she looked far too young to be an agent and she had been introduced with Charlie before.

Don nodded toward her retreating figure, "Why is she carrying?" He asked Charlie quietly.

Charlie shrugged, "She can shoot and they let her."

"But she's a consultant?" Don asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Yeah," Charlie said, "They'd let me carry a gun if I wanted to. If you can shoot, you can carry."

Don looked surprised and slightly concerned but his didn't say anything else on the matter. After another few moments Ria and Jay returned with their coffees'. About the same time they reached Don and Charlie, Megan and David descended the stairs- bags in hand. Megan smiled at Charlie as the brothers approached to help carry the luggage.

"How ya' doing, Charlie?" She asked, good naturedly.

Charlie smiled back, "I'm good, Hello David."

"Hey Charlie." David said, smiling as well.

"I can show you guys to your rooms." Charlie said, "David, you and Don will be rooming together; and Megan, you'll be with Ria." As he said her name Ria seemed to materialize behind him.

"Hi." She said brightly, "I'm Ria." She stuck out her hand.

"Megan." Megan replied. She shifted her bag so that it was pinned under her arm before shaking Ria's hand.

Ria glanced at Charlie, "You'll show them to their room and I'll get her?"

Charlie nodded, "Sure. While you're in your room, can you send me the data you pulled together last night. I'll need it to compile the list of targets."

"Of course." Ria said. She motioned for Megan to follow her, "It's this way." The two girls wondered off, leaving the four boys behind.

"I'm going to go get started on deciphering that code." Jay said, excusing himself quickly.

"Right then," Charlie said, "Guess it's just us." He led them through a few hallways until they reached the room. Both Don and David were looking around in amazement. "What?" Charlie asked, perplexed.

"This place is ginormous." Don said, echoing David's thoughts as well.

Charlie just shrugged, "It's been a base of operations and a safe house for years, they're finally putting it to good use."

David nodded, still trying to take it all in. "And it's all underground?" He asked.

"Yep." Charlie replied, "The only part that's visible from the surface in the warehouse above us"

"Hmm" David replied.

Charlie just shrugged again and opened the door for them, "This is your room. There are two beds per room and the bathrooms are just down the hall. The kitchen is back in the main room, and there's one upstairs as well."

Don whistled quietly, "Damn." He said, "This place is pretty decked out."

Charlie tried to hide his grin but it was ineffective, "Yeah, it's pretty nice." He paused for a moment, seeming to take in the room, "I'll leave you guys to it." He said, "Unpack and take a minute. Head back upstairs when you're ready, I'm sure they'll want to go over rules and procedure and whatnot."

"Thanks, Charlie." David said.

"Yeah, thanks." Don echoed.

"I'm going to head back to my room and try to get some more work done." Charlie said, "They're trying to do a raid tonight to recapture a shipment of weapons. I'm really close to figuring out the location"

"That's great, Charlie." Don said, falling back into their normal roles, "We'll be up in just a few minutes."

"Okay." Charlie said, "I'll leave you to it."

While Don and David unpacked, Ria helped Megan get situated in their room.

"So how long have you been working this case?" Megan asked, trying to strike up a conversation.

"A few months now." Ria replied.

"With Charlie?"

Ria nodded, "Yeah, he's sort of like my mentor. We've worked together a couple of times outside of this case."

"So you're a mathematician too?" Megan asked.

"Sometimes." Ria said, "I also do some forensics but my main thing is profiling."

"Profiling?"

"Yeah, behavioral profiling. I use it to predict peoples actions and to figure out things about people. Charlie and I work together really well because I can figure out the people and he can figure out the circumstances. We're finishing up the last location today, so hopefully by tonight we can start launching raids."

"Raids as in plural?" Megan said.

Ria nodded, "Yep. That's why we called you guys in, we need more hands."

"Right." Megan said slowly. "So what should I be doing?"

"Right now you can just unpack but you should probably head upstairs soon because they'll be discussing the plans for the raids Jay, Charlie and I have already figured out. As soon as we're finished verifying the location of the final shipment we'll probably head out." Ria responded.

Megan nodded; she liked the way Ria was straight forward and to the point. She didn't waste time beating around the bush. As Megan watched Ria pulled a gun out of her waistband and set it on the table in front of her. Sensing the sudden awkward atmosphere, Ria turned around. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Sorry," Megan said, shaking her head slightly, "it's just, I didn't expect consultants to be carrying guns."

Ria shrugged, "I'm a good shot. They'd be stupid not to let me carry."

Megan chuckled at the girl's comment.

"What?" Ria asked, "I am. Most of us math guys are."

Megan cocked her head to the side, "What does math have to do with that?"

Ria narrowed her eyes, "Trajectory, velocity, distance, wind speed, direction- it's all math. And if its math then we can calculate it, and if we can calculate it we can control it."

"Huh." Megan murmured, "I want to see what Don thinks about that later."

"You mean with Charlie?" Ria asked, "He's a better shot than me, but he doesn't like guns. He detests hurting people, even if they're shooting at us first."

"People shoot at you?" Megan said, surprised.

Ria's eyes widened like she had said something she probably shouldn't had, which in fact she had. "Maybe…" she said cryptically, trailing off.

Megan sighed, "Well okay then."

"Alright," Ria said, changing the topic, "you need to unpack and get organized and I need to get this data compiled and sent to the others."

"Okay." Megan agreed, "I won't bother you then."

"Thanks." Ria said with a grin. She glanced at the clock, "You should probably head upstairs in about half an hour." She said, sitting down at the computer in the corner of their room.

"Got it." Megan replied, already beginning to unpack and put things away.

Ria logged in and began entering data into the computer from the sheets next to her. After inputting all the information she began sorting it into different columns based on relevance. Finally she began running it through various algorithms to fine the data that most fit the criteria she was after. By the time she was finished with that a half an hour had gone by and Megan was finishing her organizing and getting ready to head upstairs.

"You remember the way back to the main room, right?" Ria asked.

"Yeah, I got it." Megan replied, pulling on her boots. She exited the room, leaving Ria alone with here data. After another twenty minutes the lists were finally finished and Ria was able to email it to Charlie and Jay. It was there job from here. She closed the laptop and sat back in her seat, a satisfied smile of her lips. That was the last set of data. Four months of work and they were finally ready.

 _"I'm coming. Tesla."_ She thought, " _We're coming for you."_


End file.
